The Fruity Ingredient Martha Stewart Uses To Add Texture To Tuna Salad

Martha Stewart can do it all. Whether it's entertaining for a party or whipping up an elegant holiday feast, Stewart has proved her cooking expertise with books, magazines, merchandise, and TV shows, via her official website. And while her range of difficult dishes, such as beef wellington and pasta carbonara, is certainly evident on her website, we're even more impressed with how she elevates the simple stuff — like a tuna salad.

Tuna salad is a staple in many households because it's quick and easy to prepare. Not to mention, the combination of mayonnaise and tuna provides creamy and savory flavors that pairs quite well with a myriad of other ingredients. For instance, in one of Stewart's tuna salad recipes, she adds unflavored Greek yogurt for an extra boost of creaminess. In a separate recipe, which has a Mediterranean approach, she opts for capers, arugula, artichoke hearts, and crème fraîche, as noted on her website.

But here's an ingredient you don't see too often in tuna salad mixtures: fruit. At first glance, it might seem odd to pair tuna salad with some sweetness, but Stewart has proved once again that such a feat is possible.

To be fair, celery is a common ingredient in tuna salad recipes for textural contrast, and it is one of the items used in Stewart's favorite tuna salad sandwich. But she also adds some peeled, diced apples, of the Gala or McIntosh varieties, to the mixture. As she explains, the apples give the dish an element of crunch, which seems to make every bite even more flavorful.

You only need one apple for the recipe, as well as light mayonnaise, chopped basil leaves, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and, of course, some tuna (Stewart favors water or oil-packed Italian tuna, per her website).

Green apples are also good to go for tuna salad recipes. As Cooking LSL states, green apples impart sweet n' sour notes to the mixture, while Specialty Produce adds that they're known for their acidic and refreshing qualities. Cooking LSL also recommends dicing them as they are (unpeeled) to reap all of their nutritious benefits.

So next time hunger strikes, whip up Stewart's favorite tuna salad with diced apples for a meal that will make your taste buds dance with joy.